Saturday, 23 November 2013

Albin - En Timme Kvar‏

Album review by scott@thesoundofconfusion.co.uk

This latest release from Psychic Malmö is a very exciting prospect: Albin Johansson and his successful attempt at creating great psych soundscapes with 'En Timme Kvar' (One Hour Remaining). Albin, this year has appeared and collaborated with many of Malmö's heavyweights; Big Fox and Solander to mention a couple. Johansson remains a diligent hard worker with intelligent ideas. He is also organist in the psychedelic rock band Madman's Moustache and in recent times opened for the Swedish band Fläsket Brinner. He is somehow finding time outside all of this to create his solo works and here are resulting effects.

What you hear here is one man's love to write music. On first listening I immediately sense a film score where I'm the director and I'm directing myself through a sci-fi epic. 'En Timme Kvar' is a head-expanding journey into the world of Albin. This is an instrumental album with the organ and keyboards at the heart, with repetitive drum beats and tape echoes keeping everything intertwined. The music created here is minimalist yet warm and dynamic, showing traits of Swedish psychedelic prog and krautrock.